


Hopeless Wanderers

by beaniesscrawlings



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Eremin Week, M/M, Save Me, basically just a bunch of sappy heartwarming pieces of work, eremin week 2k15, fluff galoreeee, mumford & sons song mentions are everywhere because that's all i write to nowadays
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-19
Updated: 2015-05-21
Packaged: 2018-03-31 06:59:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,913
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3968779
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/beaniesscrawlings/pseuds/beaniesscrawlings
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Eren and Armin in a modern AU, at various times in their life together. Each chapter is based off of the prompts for Eremin week 2k15! ^~^</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Lover of the Light

**Author's Note:**

> Timeline Marker: shortly after college, when Armin's settling into his new job as an English and Creative Writing teacher, and Eren's working at a local cafè and performing solo concerts with his acoustic guitar.
> 
> This is the hand holding prompt, also known as the first day of Eremin week, and I'm so excited to be apart of this week again! Basically just fluff, and yes, it's kind of a wimpy fic, but I've been at a friend's house all day watching Japanese horror folk tales, soooo...yeah, procrastination settled in, and I wanted to post it before midnight, annnddddd...clearly that didn't happen.

"I'll be at the school to pick you up in about...eh, fifteen minutes?" Eren pursed his lips, as he adjusted his grip on the steering wheel and tapped impatiently away at it with his thumbs. He glared up at the red light, which seemed to be taunt him as he could almost hear Armin's patience running thin through a small sigh on the other man's end. "I promise I'm trying my best to get there as soon as possible, love," Eren's voice grew soft, and his green eyes lost the harsh sheen that always seemed to accompany his expression, "Traffic's just being a real pain in the ass today. And this friggin' intersection too-"

"Eren, Eren, it's fine!" Armin assured him, a weary smile easy to hear in his voice, "It's just been a really, really long day, and I just can't wait to go home with you."

Eren's cheeks flushed, but he smiled nonetheless, "I'm coming as soon as I can, Armin."

Armin hummed, his voice sounding a little happier as he said, "I'll see you soon, then."

Eren hung up, all but stomping on the accelerator as the light changed. He grumbled as he passed through the intersection, squinting into the rearview mirror to give the intersection light his best stink-eye. He friggin' hated lights that took a long time to change. Especially the ones that were keeping him from his tired, in-need-of-a-good-cuddle-and-movie-session boyfriend.

Eren careened around the corner that headed up the road to Rose High School about ten minutes later, enjoying the cool breeze coming in from the open windows that gave some reprieve from the heat of the late spring sun. His brunet hair, already tousled, was worse than usual from driving with the windows open as he pulled up next to the curb where Armin was waiting with his hair pulled back, and his blue eyes hazy from the hours spent on reading the essays that his sophomore classes had recently turned in, and the short stories that his creative writing classes had submitted about two weeks ago.

Thanks to the fact that Eren had actually been getting some gigs at some coffeeshops, poetry nights, tattoo parlors, etc., Armin had been getting behind on his grading, since he insisted on coming to all of Eren's performances. As a compromise to the students and to Eren, Armin had decided to stay until eight after school this Thursday night, after his video game club's activities, entirely devoted to grading papers.

Armin's blue eyes brightened considerably when Eren gave him a broad, crooked grin, and teased the blond, "How are you faring out in the war zone, soldier?" Armin opened the red pick-up's door and plopped into the passenger's seat, his messenger bag dropped onto the floor of the cab, and his head leaned back against the headrest, eyes closed.

"Truly hellishly, captain," Armin tilted his head until he could give a small, but sincere smile over at Eren. Armin reached his hand across the console and took Eren's hand in his own, their fingers entwining, and their palms pressed firmly against the other's. "'M definitely ready for home..."

"The homeward it is," Eren said before he brought Armin's hand up to his mouth and pressed a kiss to the upperside of his hand. "Mumford & Sons okay with you?"

Armin hummed happily in agreement before his eyelids fluttered shut, and his head leaned back against the seat, a content half-smile making its way across his face. 

Their hands stay firmly intertwined across the console as Eren pulls out of the school's parking lot, and begins to make his way down the winding back roads instead of having to deal with those friggin' intersections again. Soon enough, Armin's asleep, his soft puffs of breath making the few stray blond hairs flutter from the force of his breaths. The orange stain of the setting sun settles over Armin's pale skin, and his eyes occasionally flicker from the changes in light between the shadows and the sunshine as they drive down the road, the banjo and acoustic guitar from Mumford & Sons adding the perfect ambience to the already peaceful, happy setting. 

Eren takes every chance that he can to glance over at Armin, slumped into his seat, his hand still firmly in Eren's. Eren can't fight the smile that comes across his face, nor does he want to. After all, who wouldn't be happy when they're driving on such a beautiful day, with one of the greatest bands of all time playing in the background, with the hand of the one who they love in their own.


	2. Batman Boxers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eren notices a recent change of style from his boyfriend.
> 
> Not that he's even kind of complaing about it…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Timeline: winter of the freshman year of college for both Eren and Armin.

The air is crisp when Eren steps outside of his apartment, tugging on his battered winter jacket and pulling his forest green beanie further over his ears. His huffs a breath out, the cloud of his breath in front of him disappating as he picks up a brisk pace, heading in the direction of downtown Seattle with his hands stuffed deep into his pockets, and his green eyes crinkled up against the sting of the cold. 

It's some ungodly hour in the morning, a few days before Christmas day, and he's shuffling up the frostbitten sidewalks of Seattle, all for a certain bed-headed blond, snoozing soundly in Eren's bed. In all reality, this blond is the only reason why Eren's motivated enough in the freezing weather to do his usual coffee run down to Pike Place and back to his apartment.

He books it to the original, Pike Place Starbucks, the land of the free wi-fi and overpriced rejuvenation-in-a-cup, and impatiently waits in line, his mouth watering at the heavenly smells coming from the pastry displays and the espresso machines. He occasionally smiles to himself, picking up phrases from conversations here and there, or just zoning out and thinking about various things.

He gets up to the front, and orders a vanilla latte for Armin, and a gingerbread latte for himself, and then two cinnamon swirl coffee cakes, sending abroad crooked grin at the waitress, which makes her smile instantaneously back. He has to wait about another ten minutes before he's leaving the store with two to-go cups in each hand, and the pink pastry bags peeking out from Eren's pockets.

He enters his apartment some minutes later, his cheeks flushed, and a solid third of his gingerbread latte long gone. He closes the door behind him gently, and leaves all of the Starbucks goodies on the counter, shimmying out of his winter coat and letting it drop on one of the stools before making his way back to the bedroom. Eren opens the door as quietly as possible, his face softening, and his heart growing warm when he sees the person in bed.

Armin's hair is half pulled up, his eyes closed, and his nose occasionally twitching (and each time it twitches, Eren swears he's died another death from how cute the motion is). He has on one of Eren's long-sleeve basketball shirts, so it's baggy, and hangs half-way down his batman boxers, the sleeves firmly grasped in the palms of his hands. One of his legs is hitched over the duvet, and he every so often shifts so that he's further beneath the covers. Eren leans against the doorway in black-knit sweater and dark-wash denim jeans, his hair falling over his eyes as he watches the blond sleep for a few moments.

Eren moves forward with a sigh when he thinks of how disappointed Armin would be to wake up to a cold latte. He walks around to Armin's side of the bed, and leans one knee onto the mattress, his arms moving so that they cage Armin beneath him. Eren moves ever so slowly downward, until his lips press against Armin's, and the blond lets out a little drowsy mumble.

Eren pulls back just enough so that he can watch as Armin blinks open his big, blue eyes, and he watches as the haziness clears just enough from them so that the blond flutters his eyes shut with a smile and tilts his chin up with a hum to meet Eren's lips again. Eren kisses him sweet and short before giving him some space to wake up. Eren sits on the edge of the bed, removing his arms from either side of Armin to take one of the blond's hands in his, rubbing his thumb on the back of it.

Finally, the blond stretches, then blinks his eyes open again, a smile brightening his features. "Morning, love," Eren murmurs before leaning in to brush his lips against Armin's once more, "I brought you a vanilla latte and some coffee cake."

Armin peeks one eye open again, looking even more awake at the sound of caffeine, "Starbucks?"

Eren snorted, squeezing Armin's hand lightly, "What kind of Seattlites would we be if it wasn't?"

"Probably richer ones."

"Can't argue that point."

"Well," Armin paused, his voice lilting as it always does when he teases Eren, "You can't argue many."

Eren laughs, dropping Armin's hand and shaking his head as he stands up, "Come on, get up you big bully. Stop being so mean to me and drink your coffee with me."

Armin grins up at Eren, making the brunet's breath leave his chest for more than a few moments, before standing up and taking Eren by the hand and leading him into the kitchen.

"I-I'm really digging the look, by the way…" Eren trails off, trying his best not to watch Armin's hips swaying back and forth in his freaking batman boxers.

Armin turns with a flourish around the counter, one eyebrow raised, his voice gone deadpan, "You find me, in one of your warm-up jerseys, in my nerd boxers, with my hair falling out of its bun, attractive?"

Eren pursed his lips, pretending to consider for a moment as he takes a step forward and settles his arms around Armin's waist, so that he can pull Armin close to him, but still be able to see his face. "I guess…yes."

"Marry me."

"That can easily be arranged if I wake up to a sight like this every morning," Eren teased before leaning down to kiss Armin.

Very easily arranged.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lately I've been working on changing my own style, or at least moderating the amount of classy-casual days with my lazy as fuck anime t-shirt, sweatpants, and battered converse days with a mangled ponytail days. Sooo, that's where my inspiration came from for this one. Additionally, if you guys are interested, I officially have my new cat! I'll probs be posting a picture of him on my main blog at some point.


	3. Rivers and Roads

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eren and Armin have a safe place, where they can always go to get away from their worries and troubles, whether it be school, family, etc. Then, Eren asks a hard question.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Timeline: the durkadorks' senior year at their high school.
> 
> The first not completely fluff of this week, wow. But I assure you, fluff ensues in anything that I end up writing.

Armin hummed to himself as he walked down into the valley, his footsteps quick and his heart light. He had a smile on, and his eyes crinkled at the corners when he turned around a bend and the spring sun beat down on him. The blond wasn't quite used to the heat yet, and he glared up in the general direction of the sun for a moment before he resumed his journey.

He walked along the road, following the winding river, until there was an opening in the guardrail on the side of the road, an overgrown bush hiding the trailhead. Armin pulls the branch aside, careful not to get it snagged on his backpack as he releases it behind him. The blond walks about a hundred feet before taking a turn down a small steep slope, leading into a clearing with one towering tree, with roots the travel far across the clearing's ground, and ferns that provide shelter from the trail. A brunet was leaned up against the tree, his eyes closed and his mouth opened slightly. His chest moved up and down slowly beneath his baggy sweatshirt that reads, "Survey Basketball" in big, flashy letters.

Armin's lips tilted slightly upward, blue eyes almost gleaming fondly down at the boy in front of him, his chest suddenly dissolved to a warm, goopy mess. "Eren," Armin said in a singy-songy voice, "Eren~ wake up, love." The brunet stirs, but doesn't completely wake up, so Armin drops his backback gently on the grassy floor beside him, then moves forward until he's straddling Eren's lap.

The brunet opens his green, sleep-hazed eyes just as Armin's eyes flutter closed and he leans forward to kiss him. Eren hums, moving his hands up Armin's arms, then moving to settle on his hips, pulling the blond closer to him. Armin moves his hands so that his arms are draped around Eren's neck as the kiss deepens. Eren nips at Armin's lip before backing off for some air, a crooked grin plastered on his face. "Hey there. Thanks for the nice wake-up call."

Armin laughed, taking his hands back from around Eren's neck, but staying straddled across the brunet's lap, "No problem. You didn't wake up the first time, so…I kinda just decided to do that." Armin's cheeks were flushed, but he was smiling a mite bit mischieviously nonetheless.

"Mmm…I liked it. You should wake me up like that every morning if we end up going to the same university." Eren murmured, his thumbs rubbing circles on Armin's hipbones beneath his shirt. Armin's spine stiffened a little, but he laughed lightly anyways, his smile seeming a little tight.

"And how should I if we're not going to the same university?"

Eren's smile lost a little bit of it's sincerity, but he responded anyways to the question, "By a good morning text. A good morning selfie, to be specific. And then tell me how you're doing, without any lies." Armin's heart melts a little at those words, and he brushes a kiss against the tip of Eren's nose before sitting back again. "Speaking of which…" Eren continues, trailing off as his eyes darken unsuredly, "…a-are you really not going to go to the one that we both said that we would apply to?"

Armin's smile disappeared, his blue eyes turning darker as he looked down at his hands, fiddling with his fingers. "I…" Armin begins, looking confused as his brows knit together, "I just really, really don't know, Eren. And I would prefer not to talk about this here, where we get away from the rest of the world. That includes college." Armin finished with a slight humph, before glancing back up at Eren, whose eyes haven't left Armin's.

"Okay, love, but…we need to talk about this. You know that I will support you with whatever decision you make, but I'm not going to deny just how much I'll miss you, and wish that you were with me. No matter what, " Eren paused, letting out a quick breath and glancing down as he reaches out for Armin's hands, "I'm headed to that university that we both applied to. I got a basketball scholarship there, I'm going there. You," Eren moves so that his forehead is leaning against Armin's, who is watching Eren with his brows furrowed, and he looks like he's about to cry when Eren smiles gently at him, "Need to make the choice that is best for your future, whether it's at this university or not."

By the time Eren finishes speaking, Armin's heart is all but shattered, and he lets Eren wipe away his silent tears with the pads of his thumbs. Mumbling a thank you after Eren kisses him on the forehead comfortingly.

"I-It's just so hard, Eren…" Armin trails off, and Eren cocks his head to one side, waiting for him to go on, "It's just that…I want to be with you so badly. I want to study for finals together. I want to complain about professors and graduation requirements. I want to go to my first college party with you by my side. I want to be there to cheer you on at the basketball games. I want to be able to go overseas and teach English to kids who want to learn English. I want to be a high school teacher so that I can help kids to love reading and analyzing through essays. I just want to do so much…but, I want to make something perfectly clear. Each of these things…I want to do with you."

The air between them is heavy, but all too light at the same time. The oxygen that they share is all too much and not enough. Eren's eyes are wide, and brimming with tears, because-

"I-I feel the same way." Eren mumbles out, his lower lip red from biting down on it to keep it from wobbling, "I w-want to be there with you, Armin. I want you to be there at my games. I also want you to get the kind fo education it takes so that you can teach overseas. I want you to live out your dreams so badly, Armin, because you deserve them so much."

Armin crushes Eren into a tight hug, hiding his face into the crook of the brunet's neck, and says muffledly, "I love you so much, Eren. So, so much."

Eren wraps his arms around Armin's body, just as tightly, and rests his jaw on Armin's shoulder, "I love you too, Armin. Please don't ever forget that, for any reason that could possibly exist. I," Eren kisses his nose, "love," he kisses Armin's cheeks, loving the way that the blond's eyes flutter closed, "you." He kisses Armin's forehead, before hugging him tightly again.

"Whatever ends up happening, you know that rivers and roads couldn't take me from you, Eren." Armin mumurs, strengthening his grip onto the back of Eren's hoodie.

This, believe it or not, are the words that ring in Armin's mind when he and Eren travel their seperate ways at the lightrail station.

Eren ends up dropping out of college to pursue his music, and moves to Seattle, where Armin's school is located, where they get an apartment together eventually.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you guys haven't heard the acoustic version of Unravel, you guys really should…or the Tokyo Ghoul OST in general.
> 
> Anyways, that wasn't so bad, was it? I made it happy. Eh…it was pretty bad though, because this is a single draft post…my apologies…I'm just so tired.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you lovelies enjoyed reading! Please know that I should be on time tomorrow, though that's debatable, because I'm getting my new kitty tomorrow ^~^ You can keep up to date on this week by checking my blog, beaniesscrawlings, or my main blog (which has other posts) petrichorandbeanies.
> 
> Thanks for reading!


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